Examination of the cerebrospinal fluid obtained by cisternal puncture has been recognized in the past as a valuable laboratory aid in neurologic differential diagnosis. We have employed this technique of cisternal puncture in a broad investigation of patients suffering from apparent severe psychiatric disorders.
Material and Scope of Analysis
The study included those patients of a state hospital for the mentally ill on whom cisternal puncture was performed routinely on admission, during a 15-year period.
Our analysis was limited to cases in which the increased protein content in the cisternal fluid was the essential untoward finding.
The normal value of the cisternal fluid is generally regarded as to 10 to 25 mg/100 ml. We arbitrarily set 35 mg. as the upper limit of normal, and in this study only values above this figure are considered abnormal. Corrections for blood were made in all protein values, when
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